TRAVELLERS arrived back on the showpiece Crewe Business Park as civic leaders held talks on a new strategy for dealing with gipsy communities.

Six months after they last camped on prestige employment park, a dozen caravans moved on to the car park of the landmark DEFRA building in Electra Way.

Frequent visits to the business park and neighbouring Crewe Gates Industrial Estate last spring sparked alarm among business leaders, with reports of crime and disorder in the area soaring.

Although security firms working on the estates say there has been no trouble so far this time, the presence of squatters in Crewe's flagship commercial quarter is still a cause for concern.

The latest arrivals shortly before the board of Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council on Thursday backed a new county-wide initiative for improving relations with travellers.

If implemented, the scheme will see travellers asked to sign a code of conduct and they would be required to keep away from certain 'sensitive areas' in return for better support from authorities.

Cllr Steve Roberts, portfolio holder for the local community, believes the scheme could be a success.

He said: 'What's happening now is all the authorities across Cheshire are deciding if they agree with the proposals and, if they do, it will go out for major public consultation involving both the settled and travelling communities.

'We would be looking to it put in place around August time.

'For my part, I am willing to try anything new because it is obvious what we have in place at the moment does not work.

'We know that travellers pass through this area at certain times of the year, yet we have no proper system in place for dealing with them.

'Getting them to move on is long-winded and a lot of hassle, and no one really benefits.

'Hopefully, by asking the travellers to avoid sensitive areas such as the business parks, school playing fields, sports grounds etc, and by talking to them about what their needs are, we can end a lot of the tension this issue causes.'

Cllr Roberts added that, under the proposed system, travellers would have to restrict stays to a specified length of time and avoid littering in return for services.

It is hoped the scheme will help avoid the number of court injunctions sought to move travellers on, which rarely works because of the length of time it takes to get orders through the legal system.